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Dealing with noise this season

Summer noise exemptions to be handled by staff

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

Construction season has arrived, and over the coming months, the songs of birds chirping in the morning may soon be replaced by the teeth-clenching jolts of a jack hammer.

On a regular basis, Oshawa residents are protected from the not-so-welcome noise of construction outside their doors by the city’s noise bylaw, which restricts construction noise to the hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays.

However, in certain circumstances, where there’s a need to speed construction along or emergency repairs, this bylaw can be waived and companies handed an exemption to work outside of those normal hours.

Usually, those requests land on the desk of Oshawa councillors who have the opportunity to comment. Now however, following approval at council’s most recent meeting, that authority has been delegated to staff over the summer months and into the fall as the city enters a municipal election.

According to Jerry Conlin, directon of municipal law enforcment and licensing services, by having staff make these decisions for the next little while, it ensures that projects can continue when there is no council to make the final decision.

With that said, the city has stipulations in place that have contractors notify surrounding residents when an exemption has been given for work, and also to provide a contact number for residents to call with any questions or concerns.

However, as it stands, there are no set criteria for how far those notifications are sent in a particular area, as Conlin notes that each situation is different.

“We look at it on a case by case basis,” he says. “Obviously there’s certain areas where they may have broader, open space areas where we can be a little more conservative with who we have to contact, whereas if you’re in a high density area, which has more potential impact, then we would probably be more specific in terms of who would have to be contacted.”

Along with the change in the decision making process, a pair of such noise exemptions were granted by council on June 25.

First, for work on Athol Street West, which includes watermain and sanitary sewer replacement, and installation of bike lanes on Athol Street West from Centre Street South to Albert Street. The work is scheduled to start in September and last for four to five months, including a brief shutdown for the winter. The exemption was granted in order to minimize disruption and better manage traffic. For that reason, work will need to occur between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m..

The second exemption was given to Cornell Construction for work at Bond Street East and Division Street, which will include asphalt and crack repairs near the intersection of Bond Street East and Division Street. It is scheduled for July 3 until July 6. The exemption is required in order for work to start at 6 a.m. to limit impacts on traffic and prevent worker injury on the busy street.

Moving forward, Tracy Adams, the city’s commissioner of corporate services, says any exemption approved by the city will be posted on the city’s website under Public Notices.

More information on road construction projects around the city can also be found at www.oshawa.ca/roads.

 

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